Mother's Day
by sein Henker
Summary: Sofia has three mommies. (Everyone is Alive AU; Calzona Didn't Break-Up AU)


Title: Mother's Day  
Summary: Sofia has three mommies.  
Rating: All ages.  
Word Count: 5,208  
Pairings: Callie Torres/Arizona Robbins; Mark Sloan/Lexie Grey; Meredith Grey/Derek Shepherd; Jackson Avery/April Kepner; implied Mark Sloan/Lexie Grey/Jackson Avery  
Contains: Everyone is Magically Alive For Some Reason AU; My OTP is Back Together Again for Some Reason AU; non-canon pregnancy, motherhood discussion, adultery reference  
Warnings: homophobia

* * *

"Alright, friends," Ms. Logan said sweetly, once they had all returned to their seats and quieted down. "I'm going to call you up by table, and you're going to come up and get one sheet of construction paper. You only get to take one the first time so that everyone can have the color they want for their card..."

They'd just gotten back from Spanish class. Sofia didn't like Spanish class. Señora always made Sofia do different work than the rest of the class, and while Sofia did the different work, she had to listen to Señora talk to the rest of the class about colors for two months like they were babies.

"Today, we're going to make Mothers Day cards. Mothers Day is a special day where you tell your mommy how much you love her and you say thank you for everything she does for you." Ms. Logan held up a card that she had made. It was on white paper but there were lots of pink hearts all over it. She walked them through how to fold the card and the various supplies that she'd put out for them to decorate their cards with, and she typed "Happy Mothers Day," "Thank you," and "I love you" on the SmartBoard so that they could copy them down. She also wrote down all the different things that kids in the class called their moms.

Sofia raised her hand.

"Sofia?" Ms. Logan said.

"How many cards can we make?" Sofia asked.

Ms. Logan smiled. "How many do you want to make?" she asked.

Sofia thought about it for a second. She had to make one for her mommy, of course, and her mama. So that was two. Then there was Lexie. She wanted to make one for Lexie. Lexie Grey-Sloan was her stepmom. (Her father and Lexie had made sure she could say that after the time that Lexie took Sofia to the grocery store and she wandered off.) Lexie picked her and Zola up after school every Tuesday and helped them with their homework and made them dinner. Sometimes, when Sofia got scared at night at her daddy's house, she climbed into bed with her daddy and Lexie. Lexie kissed Sofia's cuts and scrapes and held her during the scary parts of movies just as much as her other mommies did. Besides, Sofia's daddy said that soon Sofia was going to have a little sister to play with, and Lexie was going to be Sofia's sister's mommy. Sofia knew that her little sister couldn't make Lexie a card, so she figured she probably should.

"Three," Sofia said.

Ms. Logan nodded. "You can make three."

Sofia was sitting at the Diamond Table (All of the tables were shaped like a circle; it was just called the Diamond Table. There was a bright green diamond taped to the center of the table.) but she heard her cousin Zola, over at the Star Table, whisper "Sofia has three mommies!"

"Cool," Nathaniel and Erik said.

"I wish I had three mommies," Rosalie said.

Sofia smiled.

"How come?" Russell asked Zola.

Before Zola could answer, Ms. Logan said, "I'm waiting for quiet tables to call to come get their first sheet of construction paper..."

Everyone tried to look extra super quiet while she looked around the room. She called the Moon Table first, then the Arrow Table, then Sofia's table. Zola's table got called last because Russell kept bugging Zola, even when Rosalie made the quiet sign at him.

Ms. Logan said to only take one sheet of paper at a time, so Sofia decided to take a pink paper for her mommy. The pink was probably going to run out first, so she had to grab it first. After all the other kids had come up to get their paper, Sofia went back and got a yellow paper for her mama and a green paper for Lexie.

Sofia didn't know how to spell 'Lexie' and Ms. Logan wasn't sure either, but 'stepmom' was up on the board, so Sofia copied that down in purple crayon onto Lexie's card.

It was okay to talk again at that point, so Zola looked at Russell and said "Sofia's mommies are gay, so she gets to have three because two of them are married to each other, and then her daddy had to marry someone, so he married my Aunt Lexie."

"My mommies aren't gay!" Sofia said.

"Yeah-huh!" Zola said. "Because I asked my mommy what 'gay' means and she says it's when two girls or two boys love each other, like your mommies! She said!"

"Oh," Sofia said. She'd never heard her mommies say they were gay, but they were two girls who loved each other. "I guess they are gay." She shrugged and picked up her brightest orange crayon to draw a star on her mama's card. Why did it matter if her mommies were gay?

Sofia didn't get finished before the end of the day. Zola did, and so did Bojing and Gemma, who sat at Sofia's table. Matthew and Kayla didn't. Sofia carefully loaded all three cards into her backpack and pulled on her jacket.

It was okay. Lexie always worked late on Fridays, so Sofia would just get the cards done at her daddy's house that night. Sofia's daddy always picked her and Zola up on Fridays. On Mondays it was Sofia's mama, on Tuesdays it was Lexie, on Wednesdays it was Sofia's mommy, on Thursday it was Zola's mommy, and on Fridays it was Sofia's daddy. Zola's daddy never picked them up by himself because he worked far away, helping president of the whole United States, and he was only home for one week a month.

After school got out, they all went outside to the playground to wait for their rides, unless the weather was too bad. Today it was only raining a tiny bit, so they went outside. There was already a line of cars out there, but Sofia and Zola didn't see Sofia's daddy's car. Zola went over to the covered basketball courts, sat down on the edge, and pulled out her chalk, just like she did every day. Bojing followed her with his own chalk, just like he did every day. Sometimes Sofia went to draw with them, but today she dropped her backpack by the wall and went for the jungle gym.

There were seven kids already there. Four of them were second-graders that Sofia recognized but didn't know, one of them was Russell, and the other two were Russell's older brother and sister, who were twins and in the fourth grade. They were tall and freckled and they had red-hair, just like Russell, but Grace had more freckles than her brothers.

Russell's brother, Clint, was sitting at the top of the jungle gym, so Sofia started plotting how to get around him as she climbed up the jungle gym.

"Did you finish your cards, Sofia?" Russell asked. He wasn't climbing. He was hanging upside down about halfway up the bars.

"No," Sofia said. "But I'll finish later."

"Sofia has to make _three_ cards!" Russell told his brother and sister, "because her mommies are gay!"

The twins froze for second. "Ew!" Grace said, so loudly and suddenly that the second-graders, who had been having their own conversation and not listening to Russell's, all jumped off the jungle gym and ran away.

Sofia froze, halfway up a suddenly very empty jungle gym. Why had Grace said that? Russell looked confused, too.

"We don't like gay people," Clint said. He started to climb down the jungle gym on the side away from Sofia. Grace did a flip and dropped to the ground from where she was. "Come on, Russell," Grace said, tugging at her brother's shirt. "You shouldn't play with her. She's gay."

"I'm not gay!" Sofia said. "I'm Cuban!" She _was_ Cuban, like her mommy and her abuelo. She was sure of that. She remembered her mommy telling her that.

"You're gay," Grace said. The twins walked away from the jungle gym. Russell's eyes stayed on Sofia for another second, but then he followed them, still looking confused.

Sofia didn't want to play on the jungle gym anymore. She climbed back down, turned around, and ran over to the basketball court. She kicked the first piece of chalk she came to right onto the court, where some fifth-grade boys were playing basketball.

Zola and Bojing watched the chalk roll onto the court silently. Zola looked up at Sofia, obviously hurt and confused, and Bo jumped to his feet. "I'll get it!" he declared.

As he ran onto the court, Sofia glared at Zola. "You shouldn't have told them!" she said.

"What?" Zola said.

"That my mommies are gay! Now everyone hates me and it's all your fault!"

"Everyone does not hate you! And it is not my fault!"

"Is too!"

"Is n-"

One of the teachers in the pick-up loop blew his whistle. "Sofia Torres! Zola Shepherd! Your ride is here!" he called.

Sofia huffed and went to get her backpack, while Zola and Bo scrambled to get all of Zola's chalk back in the box.

Suddenly, Sofia heard Zola scream, "daddy!"

But that couldn't be right. Uncle Derek had just been home two weeks ago, for Bailey's birthday. He wouldn't be home again until it wasn't May anymore.

When Sofia turned around, though, she saw that her daddy had picked them up in his van. He'd bought the van when Lexie told him about the new baby, but he usually didn't drive unless he and Lexie and Sofia and Sofia's mommies were all going to the same place. Sofia's daddy usually picked them up in his car. The front passenger door was open, and Uncle Derek had gotten out and was running to Zola. When he got to her, he scooped her and her backpack up in one smooth motion and started carrying her to the van. Zola was laughing and grinning and already seemed to have either forgotten or stopped caring that Sofia was mad at her.

Sofia didn't want her own daddy to feel left out, so she walked around the van to the driver's side, opened the door, and gave her daddy a hug before she got into her booster seat behind him. Bailey and Ellis were in the back row. Bailey was in Sofia's old car seat, and Ellis was in the car seat that Sofia's daddy and Lexie had bought for Sofia's little sister. Uncle Derek put Zola into her booster seat, then got into the car next to Sofia's daddy, and then they all drove off.

"Daddy," Zola said, "I didn't know you were coming home!"

"No one knew except your Uncle Mark," Uncle Derek said, "And I only told him because I needed him to pick me up from the airport." Sofia's daddy huffed playfully. Uncle Derek ignored him. "I wanted to surprise your mommy, so I couldn't tell anyone who didn't need to know."

"But daddy," Zola said, "I wouldn't have told anyone!"

 _Liar_ , Sofia thought. _You tell everyone everything_.

"Oh, no," Derek said. "Not you..."

"And not me!" Bailey insisted.

"No," Uncle Derek said. "But I was worried Ellis would say something."

Zola and Bailey laughed. Sofia rolled her eyes. Ellis was a baby. She only knew like two words, and that wouldn't be enough to tell Aunt Meredith that Uncle Derek was coming home.

Sofia stared out the window, still mad at Zola. She noticed that her daddy turned left at the end of the street, when he normally turned right.

"Uncle Mark!" Zola said, "You're supposed to go the other way!"

"We're not going back to my house," Sofia's daddy said. "We're going to the mall."

Zola and Uncle Derek kept talking as they drove. Sofia just watched the rain fall on her window.

After a little while, Sofia's daddy's phone ran on his bluetooth. "Incoming call from: Meredith Grey," the car announced.

"Shhhh," Uncle Derek said, turning around to look at all the kids in the back. "Remember, she doesn't know I'm here! It's a secret! Don't tell her!"

Sofia's daddy accepted the call. "Hey, Meredith," he said. "Just got the girls from school."

"Hi, mom!" Zola said.

"Hi, Zola!" Aunt Meredith said. Then her tone changed. "So, Mark, a funny thing just happened: I went up to the daycare to see my babies, and they weren't there. The staff told me that _you_ signed them out, which is weird, because I don't remember us talking about that.."

Hearing Aunt Meredith talk just made Sofia feel worse. Why did she tell Zola that Sofia's mommies were gay? She shouldn't have told anyone that. Sofia didn't even know that her mommies really were gay. Maybe Aunt Meredith lied. Maybe she was just mean.

"I am authorized to do that," Sofia's daddy said casually. "Wanna talk to them? Bailey, say 'hi' to your mom!"

"Hi, mom!" Bailey yelled, much louder than he needed to.

Sofia cringed.

"Hi, sweetie!" Aunt Meredith said.

"Ellis?" Sofia's daddy said. "Can you say 'Mommy'?"

Ellis gave a happy little sigh and said "Mommy!"

"See," Sofia's daddy said. "Everything's fine."

"I'm glad everything's fine, Mark, but why did you take my kids out of the hospital without asking me? Or even _telling_ me? Don't do that."

"Sorry, Meredith," Sofia's daddy said casually. "I stopped by the hospital to see Lexie and I thought that while I was there I'd ask Bailey if he and his sister would rather spend the afternoon with me and the girls than in daycare. Besides, it saves you the trip up to the daycare at the end of the day."

"Oh really?" Aunt Meredith asked. "And you did put car seats for my children in your car before making this completely spontaneous decision, right?"

"I never would have made this completely spontaneous decision if I didn't have car seats, Meredith. You know that."

"Uh-huh," Zola's mommy said. "How lucky that you coincidentally had car seats for them, then."

"Well, Lexie and I bought a car seat for the new baby the other night, and it was already in the van. Gotta be ready, you know? Sofia came so early that we weren't entirely prepared. I want to be ready this time. And I happened to have Sofia's old car seat in the trunk. Perfect size for Bailey. So it just sort of worked out."

"What are you up to?"

"Nothing!" Sofia's daddy insisted. "Meredith Grey, I am the most honest man you know, and I am offended that you would even think that I could be up to something."

"Mark Sloan, I am thinking of three words, and the last one is 'club.' The first two I'm not going to say in front of our children-"

Zola and Bailey gasped. "That means it's a bad word," Zola whispered to Sofia.

"-but you know what they are."

"Fine," Sofia's daddy said. "I won't sign your kids out of daycare anymore."

"Just tell me next time you do," Aunt Meredith said. She sighed, and then she laughed a little. "Whatever you're all up to, have fun. Bye, babies!"

"Bye, mommy!" Zola and Bailey called.

Sofia's daddy hung up, and Zola and Bailey laughed. Uncle Derek laughed too. "Good job, team," Uncle Derek said. "She doesn't suspect a thing."

Yes she did. She even said so. Sofia just sat there and sulked, though.

When they got to the mall, Sofia's daddy and Uncle Derek got out and went to the back of the van, where they pulled out Sofia's old stroller (but she knew that her daddy had brought it for Ellis) and Zola's wheelchair.

"I can tell you're tired, ZoZo, so I want you to use your wheelchair," Uncle Derek told Zola as he unfolded it. Sofia's daddy unfolded the stroller.

"Will you push me, daddy?" Zola asked.

Zola hated it when anyone except her daddy pushed her in her wheelchair. She wouldn't even let her mommy do it unless she was _really_ tired. She always asked her daddy to do it, though.

Uncle Derek looked at Sofia's daddy. "Do you mind pushing Ellis?"

"Not at all," Sofia's daddy said. He opened Sofia's door and motioned for her to hop out of the van so that he could fold down her seat and get to Ellis.

Sofia's daddy made Sofia and Bailey hold onto the stroller as they walked through the parking lot and the mall. There was usually a lot of people at the mall, whenever Sofia was there, but there seemed to be even more than usual that day. There were a lot of daddies with their kids, plus the usual groups of teenagers.

Sofia loved the mall. It was big and bright and always busy. She liked seeing all of the people walk by and hearing their little bits of their conversation and wondering what they were talking about and who they were.

They went to the jewelry store first. Sofia and Zola liked it in there because everything was shiny and pretty, but Sofia ignored Zola whenever Zola tried to point something out to Sofia. Zola's daddy picked up a custom-order necklace for Zola's mommy. It had Zola, Bailey, and Ellis' birth stones on a star. Sofia's daddy didn't know what the new baby's birth stone was going to be, though, so he got Lexie a necklace with diamond-covered chainlinks.

"Nothing for Callie and Arizona?" Uncle Derek asked as they left the store.

"I don't get Callie and Arizona jewelry," Sofia's daddy said. "Arizona never wears it and with Callie it's like, anything I get her, her dad will get her something three times as valuable. I'm getting them a nutmeg grinder and a nice bottle of wine and making them breakfast when I bring Sofia over."

"But Lexie doesn't get breakfast in bed?" Uncle Derek asked.

"Lexie gets dinner at a romantic restaurant," Sofia's daddy said. "Mother's Day is a balancing act. It was even before Lexie got pregnant. I've got this."

Their daddies took them into a store full of various things and told them to go pick something out for their mommies. Zola and Bailey picked out a bracelet with flowers on it and a ceramic bear, respectively. It took Sofia a lot longer to pick stuff out. She got her mama butterfly clips for her hair because her mama liked to do her hair, and she got sparkly earring for her mommy because her mommy loved big earrings, and she got a new Etch-a-Sketch for Lexie because the one they had didn't erase right anymore and Lexie was the best Etch-a-Sketch artist in the world. Zola and Bailey were whining about how bored they were by the time she got it all picked out, though.

They didn't get back to Sofia's house until dinner, so they picked up pizza. Sofia ate hers quickly, so that she could work on her cards more before Lexie got home. She wanted to get Lexie's done first, just in case. Now that her daddy was here, he could help her spell things. He told her how to write 'Lexie,' on the inside of the card. He also told her how to spell 'great' so that she could write "You are great! I love you! Love, Sofia," inside the card in red crayon.

Sofia looked at it, and she thought about it for a minute. Then she picked up her orange crayon and added "And the baby!" (her daddy told her how to spell 'baby') underneath it.

Her daddy came over and looked at what she was writing, then he got really happy and kissed her.

She finished her card for Lexie, then put it somewhere safe in her room where Lexie wouldn't see it until Sunday. She was putting the finishing touches on the card for her mama when the doorbell rang.

Sofia's daddy smiled at Uncle Derek, who was playing Hot Wheels with Zola and Bailey in front of the fireplace. "That should be her," Sofia's daddy said. "Do you want to get it or should we keep it up for a few more seconds?"

"I'll get it," Uncle Derek said.

Zola and Bailey started to pack up their hot wheels as Uncle Derek went to the door. When he opened it, Aunt Meredith was standing there looking tired, and for a second she looked right through him and into the living room at Zola and Bailey and Ellis, who was asleep on the floor.

Then she did a double-take, back to Uncle Derek, and her face lit up and she didn't look tired anymore. "You're here!" She said, and she smiled.

Uncle Derek shrugged. "I was sitting at my office in D.C. thinking about what I could send you for Mother's Day, and then I realized that it would be so much sweeter if I just came to deliver your gift in person."

"Oh, Derek!" She kissed him again. "That _is_ the best gift!"

Uncle Derek and Aunt Meredith and all of Sofia's cousins got in the car and they drove off. Then it was just Sofia and her daddy in the house, and Sofia liked it better that way.

After a little bit, her daddy sat down beside her at the table. "¿Esta bien?" he asked. "No has dicho mucho hoy."

Sofia smiled a little. She always did, when her daddy spoke Spanish to her. He had a really funny accent, compared to her mommy and her abuelo. Sometimes her daddy spoke Spanish to her just to cheer her up.

But then she thought about the question he'd asked. Things weren't bien. "Daddy, am I gay?" she asked. She didn't know the word for 'gay' in Spanish, so she had to answer in English.

Her daddy leaned back slightly and gave her a funny look.

Sofia just stared back at him and waited for him to answer.

After a minute, her daddy got serious. "That's something you have to figure out for yourself. Why do you ask?"

"Zola told everyone my mommies are gay, and then Russell's older brother and sister said I'm gay and they wouldn't play with me anymore!"

Her daddy raised his eyebrows slightly. "Oh?"

"Yeah, and they said they didn't like gay people."

" _Oh_. Did you tell your teacher about this?"

Sofia looked down at the table. "No," she said.

Her daddy scooted closer and pulled Sofia into a hug. "They shouldn't have said that to you, Sofia. I'll talk to your mommies and on Monday we'll talk to Dr. Kim, okay?" Dr. Kim was the Head of School. He was always nice to Sofia when she saw him in the hallways, and she figured he probably already knew her mommies were gay, because he knew everything, even things that happened in the lunch room when he wasn't there, so she agreed to talk to him.

"Are you mad at Zola?" her daddy asked.

"Yeah," Sofia said. "She told everyone!"

Sofia's daddy shrugged. "Is it a secret?"

Sofia was quiet for a minute.

"I don't think Zola is the one to blame here," her daddy said.

Sofia nodded. Then she asked, "Are my mommies gay, daddy?"

"They don't mind being called gay."

"But you and Lexie aren't gay?"

"No, Lexie and I aren't gay. We're something else."

"So I don't have to be gay?"

Her daddy chuckled and moved away from her a little so that he could look down at her face. "No," he told her. "You don't have to be gay. But you can be."

"What if I am gay?"

"Then I'd be proud of you."

"But Russell and his brother and sister would still hate me."

"They might," Sofia's daddy said. "But they don't sound like very good friends anyway." He gave her another hug and another kiss and then said "Come on. It's time to get ready for bed."

* * *

Sofia spent Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at her daddy and Lexie's house. Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, she was with her moms. Usually, they all did Thanksgiving and Christmas together, with Sofia's grandparents. Uncle Derek and Aunt Meredith and Sofia's cousins sometimes came over on Thanksgiving, but never on Christmas.

Sofia went downstairs that Saturday morning, still in her pajamas, and found Uncle Jackson in the kitchen making scrambled eggs. Lexie and Sofia's daddy were sitting at the island, eating plates of scrambled eggs with cheese.

"I don't know," Uncle Jackson was saying. "Maybe a bunch of women praying over her stomach won't help, but it can't hurt, can it?" Lexie and Sofia's daddy both shook their heads politely. "I mean..." Jackson sighed. "We need all the help we can get. We can't..." He shook his head. "We can't lose another child..."

"You won't, Jackson," Sofia's daddy said. "That baby's gonna be just fine."

"Hi, Uncle Jackson!" Sofia said, crawling up onto a bar stool next to her daddy.

Uncle Jackson perked up immediately. "Hi, Sofia! Let me get you some eggs!"

"Okay," Sofia said. "Where's Aunt April?"

"She went on a mother's retreat with her church," Jackson explained, giving Sofia a serving of eggs and then scooping the rest onto his own plate. The four of them sat there, Uncle Jackson on the opposite side of the island from Sofia and her parents, and ate in silence.

Uncle Jackson looked sad.

"Uncle Jackson?" Sofia asked, "Do you miss Aunt April?"

He smiled slightly. "Yeah," he said.

"I'm sorry. Will she be back soon?"

"She will. On Monday."

"Oh," Sofia said. She looked at all the adults sitting at the island. "You could stay here until then! My daddy and Lexie will cheer you up!"

Uncle Jackson and Sofia's daddy snorted. Lexie laughed so hard she nearly fell off the bar stool, but Sofia's daddy reached over and grabbed her to keep her steady. Sofia didn't know what was so funny, but she was glad that Uncle Jackson looked happier now. "I think I'll do that, Sofia. Thanks." Then he smiled at Sofia's daddy and Lexie.

"You're welcome," Sofia said.

She ate all of her eggs and then she went to finish her mama's card. That didn't take very long. She and daddy wrapped her gifts for Lexie and her mommies, and for the rest of the day, Sofia pet the cat and read a book with her daddy and colored in her coloring book.

* * *

Sofia's daddy woke her up early on Sunday. Normally she slept in as late as she wanted and then her daddy drove her over to her mommies' house, but they had to be up early today to make breakfast for Sofia's mommies. Sofia put on her pretty flower dress and her daddy braided her hair.

Lexie and Uncle Jackson were already up. They were getting ready because they had to go to work. Sofia's mommy had to go in too, like she did every Sunday, but not until after lunch.

Sofia gave Lexie gave her card and her gift before Lexie left, and Lexie smiled really big and kissed Sofia and said that she had the best step-daughter in the world, and she was going to take the card to work to show everyone. She said she'd draw something on the Etch-a-Sketch later.

Sofia's daddy kissed and hugged Lexie and Uncle Jackson and told them he'd see them later and that he'd pick Lexie up from work for dinner. They both drove off in Uncle Jackson's car, and then Sofia and her daddy got into his car and headed for Sofia's mommy's house with their cards and presents.

Sofia wasn't much help at cooking breakfast. Her daddy let her break a few eggs and put the bread in the toaster, but he wouldn't let her touch anything that was going to get hot. When they were done, they loaded the food up onto plates and Sofia's daddy carried the plates and Sofia carried the drinks.

Sofia's daddy kicked the door a few times and didn't open it until Sofia's mommies said to come in.

"We made you breakfast!" Sofia said. She gave them their coffee and Sofia's daddy gave them their plates, and once they had everything set down somewhere stable, Sofia gave both her mommies a hug.

"Happy Mother's Day," Sofia's daddy told her mommies.

"Yeah! Happy Mother's Day!" Sofia said.

"Thank you," Sofia's mommies said.

Sofia's daddy also made a plate for Sofia, so Sofia sat there with her mommies and they all ate breakfast.

"This is good," Sofia's mama said. "This is why you have a key to my house."

Sofia's daddy chuckled. "Thank you."

After breakfast, they gave Sofia's mommies their gifts, which they loved. Sofia wasn't sure what a nutmeg grinder was, but her mom was really happy to get one, and they were both really happy when Sofia's daddy said that he'd ordered a new sofa for them. They'd been saying for a while that they needed a new one.

They both loved their presents from Sofia. They put the hairclips and the earrings on right away, and they put the cards up on the mantle where they put Christmas card during the holidays.

Sofia's daddy sat and talked with Sofia's mommies for a little bit, and Sofia went to play in her room. She was up there playing for thirty minutes before her daddy came up to kiss her goodbye.

Sofia and her mommies watched a movie together, and then Sofia's mama made lunch. She didn't use the nutmeg grinder, so Sofia still didn't know what it was for.

While they were eating lunch, which was chicken and rice and peas, Sofia's mommy made a serious face and said, "Sofia, baby... Your daddy told us what happened at school on Friday."

Sofia frowned. She hadn't really thought about it since Friday.

"Sofia..." Sofia's mama said, "I wish I could tell you that those kids were the last people you'd ever meet who don't like families like ours, and I wish we could have waited until you were much older to have this conversation, but I can't. You're going to meet others, and some of them will be crueler than those kids were."

"But _why_?" Sofia said.

"Because we're different," Sofia's mama said. "And some people don't like anyone who is different from them. But listen to me, baby: People are going to dislike you because your mommies are gay, because you're Cuban... because of a lot of things. And they're _wrong_ , and that's their loss, because you are the most beautiful, intelligent girl in the world. And you have _nothing_ to be ashamed of. Not who you are, not your family, not your heritage..."

"I'm not ashamed of you!" Sofia said. She wondered why her mommies would think that, and then she remembered what she'd said about Zola. "Zola can tell everyone. It's okay. It's not a secret."

Her mommies looked confused.

" _I'll_ tell everyone!" Sofia said. "...But maybe not Rosalie because she said she wished that she had three mommies and I don't want to be mean."

Sofia's mommies laughed.

"No," Sofia's mama said. "Don't be mean."

"I won't," Sofia promised. "But I'm glad I have three mommies."

"And we're glad we have a beautiful little girl," her mommy said.


End file.
